This invention relates generally to improvements in bakery utensils and equipment, and more particularly to improvements in means for spreading icing or other bakery decoration on bakery products made by a batch-type process.
Heretofore, the application of thin streams of icing to individual pastry pieces, streusel, coffee cakes, etc., has taken two differing approaches. For making individual pastry pieces, coffee cakes, etc., the traditional method of applying a thin stream or streams of icing has been for a baker dip his hand in a pan of icing, and thereafter run the hand, fingertips down, above the individual piece or pieces of bakery laid out in a baker's pan. The icing would then drip from the fingers of the baker's hand onto the pastry with the baker's hand being moved in a desired pattern over the pastry, or moved to cover the pieces of pastry laid out in grid fashion in a typical 18.times.36 inch baker's pan, or the like. When using this technique, the baker must wash his or her hands after each such batch or icing application. Over time, the baker's hands become dry and irritated. Also, the time needed to clean the baker's hands is subtracted from the time for which the baker can constructively prepare additional bakery.
The second type of application of icing to bakery products has been by use of complex application machines, typically tied into large conveyor belt-type baker production lines. Such machines are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,320,529 and 3,427,650.
A need has developed for an icing spreader utensil which aids a baker in spreading icing evenly and uniformly, in desired patterns, on individual or batch-made bakery. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved means for distributing bakery decoration in the form of icing across bakery made in batch-type processes.